Extra Bacon
“It’s a yacht, for Christ’s sake, Richard, it’s not a house.
” My father snorted from his desk, the phone clutched between his shoulder and his ear.
“I understand she is being whimsical, but aligning the furniture and decor according to the principles of Feng Shui? That’s absurd!
” he exclaimed. Then, with a sigh, he mumbled, “I feel like we should sadly let her go.”
After hours spent in my dad’s office, my hair had become a messy bun, decorated with pencils, pens, paperclips, and whatnot.
My fingers were still tingling from frantically typing last-minute revisions into the contract before the final sign-off.
Mindy, the secretary, finally rearranged the next couple of days’ viewings so that my father could peacefully enjoy the rest of his vacation.
And he, true to his nature, having always respected people’s personal lives, let her go home at the end of her shift.
“Want some coffee?” I asked my father, my head leaning against the frame of his door. “I’m going to make one for myself.”
My father paused, then glanced at me, leaning back in his chair. “I think I’m fine. Thank you, Florence.”
“Okay,” I mumbled with a nod.
He cleared his throat. “Florence?” He called my name just as I twirled on my heel.
“Yeah?” I turned back.
“Um.” His gaze warmed and he smiled. “I just wanted to say thank you. For helping me today.”
“Hmm.” I smiled back. “That was kind of fun.”
“And, you know, if you ever…well, what I’m trying to say is, this is all yours too. Whatever might have been going on between you and your mother. And, God as the witness, she can be a little demanding sometimes…”
“I know, Dad,” I breathed.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “We all do. I hope you understand that with everything that happened, Elizabeth, well, your mother,” he said, a bittersweet smile playing on his face, “she might not display it, but she is happy that you are here, Florence. We both are.”
Suddenly, my chest tightened and my palms turned clammy.
Oh, boy, this wasn’t our typical father-daughter conversation, the one usually limited to ‘you look thin’ comments and that sort.
This was uncharted territory. This was real and honest. Now, even though he didn’t say much, he did say a lot.
And it wasn’t normal for us to say ‘I love you’ either, but at this very moment, it felt like it.
“Dad?” I slid my hands into the back of my pockets; lips slightly parted, I said ‘I love you’ in my mind then said, “I’m glad to be here too. ”
***
Later that evening, as I was finishing up the paperwork at the office, fists resting on my hips, I stood over the coughing printer— that needed to be fixed , I made a mental note—a final freshly inked sheet of paper slowly rolling out. The door opened with a knock.
“Mindy? Did you forget something?” I called out, then glanced over my shoulder. “Miles? What are you doing here?”
“Thought you might be hungry,” he said, holding a brown takeaway bag.
“Um, you didn’t have to.” I gestured around the room. “We’re almost finished.”
Miles closed the door behind him and sighed. “I wanted to.”
“Oh!” An awkward, foolish smile touched my lips. “But—” I glanced at my watch, a delicious scent of something fried tickling my nose, causing my mouth to water. “—it’s almost six. You’re going to miss dinner?”
“Then I’ll eat with you.” He smirked, taking a few strides towards the desk, setting out the food. “Elizabeth, too, thought that was an excellent idea!”
I snorted a laugh. “Of course she did.”
“What smells so good?” My father appeared from his office. “Miles?”
“He got us something to eat,” I explained.
“That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“I hope you like burgers?” Miles offered one to me first, then handed the second to my father.
“Oh, I do,” my father boomed, quickly unwrapping his. “Mmm, extra bacon?” He nodded with approval. “Welcome to the family, son!” Son?
“This is so good,” I mumbled around a mouthful, my eyelids fluttering with enjoyment.
We finished our food in comfortable silence. As I wiped my mouth with a napkin, my father cleared his throat, a more serious look on his face.
“What’s this?” Miles smiled and suddenly leaned over me.
His hand brushed a loose strand of my hair.
He was reaching for a paper clip stuck to it.
The gesture itself was innocuous, but the way he did it…
shit! My eyes widened and I froze, holding my breath.
My gaze locked onto Miles, who, within a split second, realised what he had just done in front of my dad and also froze. Oh, crap!
…Mark said that he was walking past Miles’ bedroom…
…and heard some seriously breathy whimpers, and giggling coming from behind the door…
We both glanced at my father. His brow furrowed in concentration and I could practically see how all the dots, one by one, were connected. Shit! Shit! Shit!
“Well,” my father muttered slowly with an eyebrow raised, his expression unreadable, “you two should probably go. Don’t worry, Florence, I’ll lock up the office.”
“I’ll be right back,” I mumbled to Miles. “Dad? Wait!” I followed him to his desk. “That’s—”
“Not something I would like to discuss with my daughter. I like Miles, but right now,” he narrowed his gaze at me, the faintest smirk grazing his lips, “I don’t like him very much.”
“Uh…I swear, it’s…not like that.”
“So, I shouldn’t call him son-in-law just yet?” he asked with a brow cocked.
“God no!” A smile broke out on my face. “Look,” I sighed, fingers quickly covering my eyes, leaving a tiny space in between for me to peer, “I’m sorry you found out this way, and with everything that Jo said just this morning.
It’s just…” I suddenly exhaled a deep breath.
“It’s a…” My eyes met my father’s in a silent plea.
“I assume you are asking me to maintain discretion on this matter,” he bluntly offered.
“Could you?” My face hopefully winced.
My father paused, leaving me slightly nervous, then smiled. “I promise you this will stay between you and me.”
“And you…don’t hate him?”
“Hate?” My father laughed, his tone playfully exaggerated. “He got me the extra bacon, Florence. That fine young man is certainly a keeper.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Okay, I’ll see you at home, Dad.”
“Look,” Miles mumbled, breaking the silence as the two of us awkwardly sat in the car, “this was…” He glanced at me, furrowing his brow. “I…I don’t know how this happened.”
I tilted my head back and huffed a deep breath, letting out a snort. My eyes slowly fluttered shut, then opened again. “Yeah, I know that.”
“So,” he drawled, “your father…? Should I clear out my room as soon as we get back, or just steer clear of him for a few days?”
“What?” I chuckled. “No, of course not. He was definitely caught off guard, but he knows that I’m not a little girl anymore. No need to vacate just yet!”